’The Prince went on gesticulating, and shrieking almost.  “If a man injured you so, Magny, before you begot the father of that gambling lying villain yonder, you would have known how to revenge yourself.  You would have killed him!  Yes, would have killed him.  But who’s to help me to my revenge?  I’ve no equal.  I can’t meet that dog of a Frenchman,—­that pimp from Versailles,—­and kill him, as if he had played the traitor to one of his own degree.”

’"The blood of Maxime de Magny,” said the old gentleman proudly, “is as good as that of any prince in Christendom.”

’"Can I take it?” cried the Prince; “you know I can’t.  I can’t have the privilege of any other gentleman in Europe.  What am I to do?  Look here, Magny:  I was wild when I came here; I didn’t know what to do.  You’ve served me for thirty years; you’ve saved my life twice:  they are all knaves and harlots about my poor old father here—­no honest men or women—­you are the only one—­you saved my life; tell me what am I to do?” Thus from insulting Monsieur de Magny, the poor distracted Prince fell to supplicating him; and, at last, fairly flung himself down, and burst out in an agony of tears.

’Old Magny, one of the most rigid and cold of men on common occasions, when he saw this outbreak of passion on the Prince’s part, became, as my informant has described to me, as much affected as his master.  The old man from being cold and high, suddenly fell, as it were, into the whimpering querulousness of extreme old age.  He lost all sense of dignity; he went down on his knees, and broke out into all sorts of wild incoherent attempts at consolation; so much so, that Weissenborn said he could not bear to look at the scene, and actually turned away from the contemplation of it.

’But, from what followed in a few days, we may guess the results of the long interview.  The Prince, when he came away from the conversation with his old servant, forgot his fatal box of papers and sent the page back for them.  The General was on his knees praying in the room when the young man entered, and only stirred and looked wildly round as the other removed the packet.  The Prince rode away to his hunting-lodge at three leagues from X——­, and three days after that Maxime de Magny died in prison; having made a confession that he was engaged in an attempt to rob the Jew, and that he had made away with himself, ashamed of his dishonour.

’But it is not known that it was the General himself who took his grandson poison:  it was said even that he shot him in the prison.  This, however, was not the case.  General de Magny carried his grandson the draught which was to carry him out of the world; represented to the wretched youth that his fate was inevitable; that it would be public and disgraceful unless he chose to anticipate the punishment, and so left him.  But it was not of his own accord, and not until he had used every means of escape, as you shall hear, that the unfortunate being’s life was brought to an end.